No-name brands aim for top shelf

Vladimir Klitschko is helped to his feet after being knocked down in the fifth round of his WBO world heavyweight title fight this month.
Photo: Getty Images

Even one of the title-holders admits heavyweight boxing has become dull and faceless. Ron Borges asks who will be the next big thing in the ring.

About a week ago, Vladimir Klitschko was asked about the short-term future of the heavyweight division, with each of the four major world titles about to be contested in a three-week span. A well-educated man with a PhD who can answer an inquiry in four languages, Klitschko pointed out that such a question was foolish.

"We must see who wins the titles," the former World Boxing Organization champion cautioned. "In two or three weeks, we'll have a lot of information. It makes no sense to talk about it now."

Klitschko was correct in refusing to discuss the future of the division because after being knocked out by the journeyman Lamon Brewster last Saturday night and blaming it on exhaustion caused by high blood sugar, the younger Klitschko brother reduced himself to irrelevance only days after being touted by many boxing businessmen as half the future of the sport.

The other half is supposed to be his big brother, Vitali, who fights Corrie Sanders next Saturday for the vacant World Boxing Council title, relinquished by Lennox Lewis upon his recent retirement.

While the elder Klitschko is favoured, he is as suspect in the eyes of many as his brother, who has been knocked into helplessness in two of his past four fights.

Even if the elder Klitschko is dominant over a man who a year ago was semi-retired and studying to become a golf pro, what does it mean? That will depend to a large extent on what happens tonight at Madison Square Garden, where World Boxing Association champion John Ruiz faces Fres Oquendo in the first all-Latino heavyweight title fight and International Boxing Federation titleholder Chris Byrd defends his title against Andrew Golota, whose nickname the Foul Pole has been legitimately earned.

Golota was once viewed in the same light as the Klitschkos. He was a Great White Hope, a hulking man out of Krakow with a stiff jab, a strong right hand and little self-control.

Ultimately, the latter left him undone, as he was twice disqualified in fights he was easily winning against former undisputed champion Riddick Bowe.

This character flaw also led him to crack psychologically against Michael Grant and come unglued three-and-a-half years ago against Tyson, when he quit on his stool after taking what seemed minimal punishment, and also got into a shoving match with trainer Al Certo.

Considering the match-ups of such fragile young men, is it any wonder that Klitschko wanted to wait a few weeks before commenting on how things were likely to shape up? All that is clear now, with tonight's card at the Garden to settle two more of these titles, for a time, is that the younger Klitschko is not "in champion's league" and neither is Brewster, despite having temporarily laid claim to the WBO crown.

At the time he landed the two left hands that left Klitschko semi-conscious and upside-down, Brewster had been on the receiving end of a one-sided beating.

He had barely landed eight punches a round while stopping Klitschko's choppy river of blows with his face. He was struggling mightily when he suddenly decided to punch back in round five, whereupon Klitschko slipped into boxing's dark room.

Next thing Klitschko knew, referee Robert Byrd had stopped both the fight and the Klitschko brothers' plans to make the division a family business. Now all that remains is his brother, who last June got much credit for having his face shredded by an out-of-shape Lewis before their bout was stopped and Lewis's hand was raised.

GLOVED UP

Who fights who for what
APRIL 10: Lamon Brewster beat
Vladimir Klitschko for the World
Boxing Organization title.
APRIL 17: Fres Oquendo to challenge
John Ruiz for the World Boxing
Association title.
APRIL 17: Andrew Golota to
challenge Chris Byrd for the
International Boxing Federation
title.
APRIL 24: Vitali Klitschko and Corrie
Sanders to fight for vacant World
Boxing Council title.

The elder Klitschko fought bravely that night, but to what end? He lost, although these days the mere act of fighting with courage and somewhat like a professional can turn a heavyweight into a headliner, which Klitschko will be on April 24, when he faces one of the men who knocked his younger brother senseless.

Sandwiched between the Klitschko bouts comes Ruiz and Byrd, two champions who have been virtually ignored by the public and the paymasters despite the fact that both defeated a reduced form of Evander Holyfield to originally win their titles.

Each is taking cut-rate money to defend (Ruiz having won his title back by defeating Hasim Rahman in a box-off last December after losing it to Roy Jones jnr 13 months ago) in the hope that eventually this will lead to a showdown of champions in a unification fight. As Klitschko said, there's no guarantee either of them will be around for such a fight.

"The heavyweight division is wide open, basically," Ruiz said. "It's out there to be grabbed. Now is the perfect time to get a tournament going to unify the titles. That's what the fans are looking for - something to happen in the heavyweight division.

"It's been sort of stale for quite a while and people have not been paying attention. It needs something to revive it.

"Everyone used to know who's fighting for the title. Now you mention a name and everyone says, 'Who the hell is that?' We need to start fighting each other."

Before they can do that, Ruiz and Byrd have to do what young Klitschko could not. They have to beat the men propped up in front of them. Then they can start worrying about the best Klitschko standing . . . if there still is one upright by April 25.